Despite the pretty leaves and crisp, clear air in autumn, we adults may yearn to turn back the clock to the warm days of midsummer.
But for children, fall is an exciting time. For them, it means a new school year, Thanksgiving (and their first holiday in the school year), and probably one of the most thrilling times of the year: Halloween.
In between those dates, there’s lots to do in the city of Toronto in autumn months. Here are some of the most memorable—many of them nostalgic places or activities you may have done as a child yourself.
1. The Royal Ontario Museum
Anyone who grew up in Toronto will remember trips to the ROM, with its impressive collection of giant dinosaurs and the fascinating (and a little bit scary) mummy from Ancient Egypt. Nowadays the Royal Ontario Museum has a dedicated discovery space for little kids, and a ROM Moms & Tiny Tots program that runs in the morning (dads are welcome too). For the school-age, dino-loving crowd, there’s a special exhibit this fall called Dinosaur Eggs and Babies.
2. Nuit Blanche
A special night out (and a later bedtime) to explore artwork on a grand, outdoors scale will be something your kids remember for years to come. You needn’t hit the road after midnight or even stay up particularly late, however. This year Scotiabank Nuit Blanche starts at 6:53 pm, and ends at sunrise. Plan ahead using the website’s planning tool (http://www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca/plan-ahead/), and keep in mind the biggest crowds are from 8 pm to midnight.
3. The Toronto Public Library
In this digital age, kids probably don’t spend as long as we did hanging out in the neighbourhood library. Fix that by visiting the Toronto Public Library with your children. Not only can you borrow books, you can also enroll in great, usually free fall programs tailor-made for kids. A nearby branch is sure to have well-planned programming coming up, for instance the TD Shakespeare for Kids Library Club, for children ages 7 to 12 that begins in November.
With young kids, head to one of the cool KidsStop Early Literacy Centres (pictured). Photo courtesy Toronto Public Library.
>>Free Things to Do with Kids in Toronto
4. Pumpkin Patches
Pumpkins are one of the most recognizable symbols of fall, so its fun to get out and see a whole patch of them around Thanksgiving and Halloween time. Luckily, the GTA is chockablock with pumpkin farms as close as Richmond Hill and Whitby. We’ve found a website dedicated to Toronto-area pumpkin patches, but be sure to call before you visit.
5. The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair
Though named a winter fair, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair actually takes place in fall, from November 7 to 16 to be exact. It’s safe to say most city kids are fairly removed from livestock on a daily basis, so this is a chance to connect to a world that’s so vital to our lives. Ascertain whether your kids’ class will be taking a field trip to this fair that is held at the Exhibition Place, and if not, plan a trip that’s sure to make a lasting impact.
6. The Eaton Centre
On a rainy fall day, hop on the subway, get off at Dundas or Queen subway stations and stay dry by visiting the Eaton Centre with your little ones. Little kids (and lots of adults) love watching the shooting fountain in the middle of the mall, something many of us parents forget to appreciate in our pressed-for-time hustle to get to J.Crew and Sephora. Indigo, on the uppermost retail level, also has a cozy kids area with books and toys to keep them entranced for at least forty-five minutes. The food court level has every type of cuisine imaginable, so save room for lunch.
7. St. Lawrence Market
The ever-busy St. Lawrence Market is perhaps not the place to head with kids on a crowded Saturday morning, but the rest of the week it is a perfect, almost small-town-like place to escape urban life and shop for fresh food in environs that don’t resemble the starkly lit supermarket experience. Budding pastry chefs may wish to check out the Kids’ Macaron Making Class (ages 8 to 16), held on November 16.
8. Harbourfront Centre
Did you know the Harbourfront Centre is 40 years old? It is, and it continues to offer excellent cultural offerings for the entire family, not least the HarbourKids program. On October 13, join the free Natrel Stroller Parade.
Dress up your kid’s stroller outrageously or visit the Natrel Stroller Salon where they’ll help you bling out your stroller on-site and take part in a zany parade. For school-age kids, also on October 13 is another HarbourKids event from Little Island Comics, where youngsters are invited to create a giant comic mural.
9. Spadina House
The historic Spadina House near Casa Loma has been restored to 1920s-era splendour, and is worth a visit with the kids, particularly if you’ve never been, or the last time you visited it was when you were a schoolkid. On Saturdays at 2:30 it holds a themed tour called It’s a Kids’ Life that explores what it was like to be both working class and privileged children in the early part of last century.
10. Food Bank Volunteering
Thanksgiving and Halloween, in the eyes of our children, are a time of abundance. Turkey dinners, pumpkin pies, boxes of chocolate bars and chips to hand out to trick-or-treaters: the message is that the fall is a time of plenty. It also is a great time to internalize the concept of giving and sharing to those who do not have as much as we do, especially when it comes to food. Even young kids can visit a food bank to drop off food and non-perishables. Older children and teens can volunteer. This fall, the Daily Bread Food Bank is asking for donations of canned fish.
11. High Park Zoo
As a kid growing up in Toronto, a field trip to the High Park Zoo wasn’t as exciting as a day at the big Toronto Zoo full of exotic animals in the east end, but it was still cool to see bison, llamas and peacocks in person (and better than being in class, natch). After a few years of uncertainty as to whether it would shutter, in 2014 the City of Toronto reinstated the budget to keep the zoo open. That said, one never knows when city budgets might be trimmed again, so it’s best to go sooner than later, like this fall.
PHOTO: MT. HOOD TERRITORYFLICKR CC
Helen Racanelli is a Help! We’ve Got Kids contributing writer. You can follow Helen on Twitter @helenrac.
